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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26849467">fuck titles; just read the summary, check the tags, and debate whether or not you wanna read it</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monpetitecherie/pseuds/Monpetitecherie'>Monpetitecherie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Parks and Recreation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurities, Okay bye, also im not original, episode s05e01 ms knope goes to washington, this is the shit i live for, yeah guys im mean, yep its another one of hundreds of fics based on that ep</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:28:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,913</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26849467</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monpetitecherie/pseuds/Monpetitecherie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Something in the universe told her they were soulmates. Everything felt right; it just fit. </p>
<p>Ugh, but she sure as hell didn’t feel like his soulmate in this moment.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>yeah guys it's another fic based on s5e1 except it's not based on Ben calling Leslie his friend</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>fuck titles; just read the summary, check the tags, and debate whether or not you wanna read it</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is a shit fic i wasted my time writing this idk why you're reading it but please enjoy</p>
<p>also dialogue in the beginning is dialogue from the actual ep lol</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It’s fine, just go. I’ll see you at your apartment later”</p>
<p>Ben was ushered away by the press, a concerned look on his face. Leslie’s heart sank as she sat in the coatroom. </p>
<p>“Excuse me. I just need to get my coat here,” a man said as he tried to retrieve his coat.</p>
<p>“Could you just give me a minute?” </p>
<p>“Are you—are you okay? Can I get you anything?”</p>
<p>“I-I would like you to just leave and give me a little privacy here, please,” Leslie sighed; she didn’t have time for social interaction.</p>
<p>“All right. I’m sorry. I hope everything’s okay,” the man quietly replied and took off.</p>
<p>“Nosy people have no respect for personal space,” she muttered to herself. Tears welled in her eyes. God, she felt like shit. She spent all day alone looking at historical sites while her boyfriend attended meetings with fancy people and found himself surrounded with women.</p>
<p>Tall, dark haired, powerful women. </p>
<p>Women that were better than she was in every way possible.</p>
<p>Leslie shook her head; just the thought of him running off with a, uh, hot Rebecca made her stomach churn with jealousy and heartbreak. She recalled having the same emotions as she watched him have a lovely conversation with Shauna Malwae-Tweep when the world was “ending”. Ben wasn’t allowed to be anyone else’s, just hers. Yes, the thought seemed selfish as people weren’t things to claim but they were just meant to be. Something in the universe told her they were soulmates. Everything felt right; it just fit. </p>
<p>Ugh, but she sure as hell didn’t feel like his soulmate in this moment.</p>
<p>By now, the hot tears were flowing freely down her face, but she hurriedly wiped them away. Was he cheating on her with these people? Would he end up dropping her like a hot potato during her visit? He wouldn’t do that, would he? Was he romantically interested in them? They were his type after all… </p>
<p><em>Leslie stop you’re just getting ahead of yourself,</em> she thought. Thousands of theories jumbled in her brain. The walls of the room seemed to be closing in; now she <strong>really</strong> needed some air. Taking in a shaky breath, Leslie arose from her seat in the coatroom and took off, refusing to look behind.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>Things were definitely off that evening. The tension in the room was awkward, no one had spoken in over an hour (Ben tried holding some conversations but it’d last about a minute or so and eventually he gave up).</p>
<p>Leslie scraped her fork against the empty ceramic plate. She had no appetite; all she had for dinner was a glass of water, while Ben had a French dip sandwich. Another minute passed and he couldn’t handle the uncomfortable silence between them. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’m going to just address the elephant in the room. Something is clearly bothering you, I could tell during the cocktail party, and I’m puzzled as to what it is. Did I say something to you or were you just not having a good time or..?”</p>
<p>“I’m just tired, I guess.” They both knew that was a bullshit answer.</p>
<p>“Okay, I see where you’re coming from, but have you considered that you hardly sleep? I’ve seen you stay up for 4 days straight.” </p>
<p>“Then it’s nothing, okay?” Leslie snapped, which stunned him. She was not acting like herself and he was determined to find out but Ben didn’t want to keep pushing her buttons. The rest of their meal was spent in silence. </p>
<p>“Uhh…alright good talk. I’m gonna head to bed since I have a meeting at 7 tomorrow morning but we can meet up for lunch somewhere if that’s alright with you,” Ben informed as he put his dish in the dishwasher. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Leslie replied coldly. </p>
<p>“Love you. Goodnight.” He kissed her cheek and strolled off to his bedroom, leaving Leslie alone at the dining table. She knew he meant well and was worried for her well-being, but she was just so distraught. What did she normally do to get herself out of a funk? Make a binder, obviously, but Leslie wasn’t home and didn’t have her supplies. There wasn’t much to do at this hour so she put her dish away and took a seat on the couch. Being surrounded by the lobbyists all day really sucked the energy and confidence out of her. While they kicked ass at the Senate or some shit, she was failing as a rinky-dink councilwoman from a rinky-dink town. God, they were all so beautiful too. Perfect bodies sporting thin, slim dresses, silky locks neatly secured, and they were all so tall! Like beanstalks! All the women were beautiful beanstalks except for her. </p>
<p>She was just a weed. </p>
<p>A short, lowly weed. </p>
<p>Did Ben like having a weed for a partner? Wouldn’t he prefer having a hot beanstalk? She sighed; why did love have to be so hard? What if he ends things with her right before she leaves DC or something? Breaking up with him once was enough; Leslie didn’t need to go through the painful process again. Recalling those moments in her life filled her heart with sorrow. She cried herself to sleep most nights, missing the feeling of his presence next to her. Seeing him around the halls of the building, her heart yearning. All the times she had the urge to tell him how much she desired his touch, his kisses, his ass, but stopped herself. Yet, at least at the office, she saw him every day. If they ended things here, he’d be out of her reach.</p>
<p>“Honey?”</p>
<p>Leslie whipped her head around to find Ben standing in the doorway.</p>
<p>“I heard someone crying, are you okay?” he took a seat next to her on the couch. She shook her head as she wiped away the stray tears on her cheeks. Without realizing it, Leslie had started weeping in reality.</p>
<p>“Okay, we are going to sit here and we are going to talk. What’s going on?” Ben pleaded, taking her hands in his. Leslie stayed silent for a while; something inside her kept holding her back. </p>
<p>“Ben, do you love me?” she asked, refusing to look at him and instead staring at their hands.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Do you love me? Be honest.”</p>
<p>“Yes, of course I do!”</p>
<p>“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you rather be with a tall beautiful beanstalk?”</p>
<p>“A beanstalk?” </p>
<p>“Yes, a beanstalk!” her head shot up and her pain-filled eyes met his, “All the lobbyists you introduced me to today were so gorgeous and powerful and <em>so fucking tall</em>. They were like perfect looking beanstalks, and I just felt like a weed. A tiny, useless weed,” she blurted.</p>
<p>“Leslie I–”</p>
<p>“You seem to really be hitting it off with those women and you do spend a lot of time together anyway because of your classy jobs. You don’t know how draining it is to spend a day with people who are clearly better than you in every way possible. They’re kicking it up in these important government places while I’m just some run-of-the-mill councilwoman who can’t even schedule a meeting with a bureaucrat. I feel like I’m not enough for you. I’m worried you’re either cheating on me with them or planning on dumping me during my time here in DC because they’re exactly the kind of women you take interest in,” she spat out her thoughts word for word, hardly stopping to take a gulp of air. Fresh tears spilt out of her eyes.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, it’s okay, slow down–”</p>
<p>“I just don’t want to lose you again, y’know? You mean so much to me. Something in the universe just tells me we’re meant for each other, that we’re soulmates. We fit together like matching puzzle pieces. I can’t stand seeing you with anyone else, it doesn’t look or feel right. Why else did I intervene on your conversation with Shauna the day the world was supposedly ending? Breaking up with you was the worst I had ever felt. It’s a feeling that I <strong>never</strong> want to experience again, but I fear it’s going to happen sometime during the rest of my visit. You end things with me then run off with one of the lobbyists or something,” Leslie sobbed, smashing her face into his chest. Finally being able to verbalize everything felt relieving. Keeping emotions bottled was mentally tiring; she had no clue how Ben did it all the time. </p>
<p>“Woah hey, it’s okay. You’re gonna be okay. I got you,” he comforted. Ben wrapped his arms around her waist and the other around her head, as she sat there feeling vulnerable. Eventually, her tears subsided, sobs replaced with small sniffles. They switched to a half-spoon cuddling position.</p>
<p>“Do you want me to get you anything?”</p>
<p>“No, can we just stay like this…please?” she silently requested. Ben nodded and gently but firmly kissed the top of her head. He squeezed her body closer to his, knowing she enjoyed it when he did that. Leslie closed her eyes and tried to focus on Ben’s presence. His arms were her safe place, she always felt warm and protected. He smelled like cedarwood and bergamot, a unique combination that calmed her senses when times seemed overwhelming. Pressing her ear closer to his chest, she listened to the soft thumps of his heart. His heartbeat was most important to Leslie; it was a sound only reserved for her. On evenings when everything seemed to be headed downhill, she’d snuggle real close to him and press her ear to his chest. It was a reminder that he was alive and he was still there at her side. This was where she wanted to be forever and always. The world could be ending but Leslie wouldn’t care; as long as she was snuggled close to him and locked in a tight embrace. She recalled the words she exchanged with Ron that day:</p>
<p>
  <em>“But I have to tell you, Ron, if the world was ending tomorrow I’d want to be with him…”</em>
</p>
<p>Leslie reopened her eyes and smiled; that line aged nicely if she said so herself. She had completely forgotten about the lobbyists. Leslie looked up at her handsome elf king, and his kind eyes met hers.</p>
<p>“You’re okay?”</p>
<p>“Yeah but what about your meeting? You’re hardly getting any sleep right now.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about me,” Ben tenderly responded, “My top priority is you.” Leslie grinned. Speaking of sleep, her eyelids began to get heavy. Maybe closing her eyes for a little wouldn’t hurt. The couple sat there, soaking each other in; it was a blissful moment.</p>
<p>“Sorry for all this,” she apologized, half asleep.</p>
<p>“What? Why?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.</p>
<p>“I just- looking back this was so silly. I feel silly. I should’ve at least had some faith in you and kept myself in check but instead let my mind wander off and ended up jumping to conclusions.”</p>
<p>“You don’t need to apologize. I mean, yeah you could’ve at least had an ounce of faith since I’m absolutely crazy about you and not once would think of cheating, but this whole situation is very understandable I can see why you thought that,” he exhaled, “I love you so much, Leslie. Things are going to be just fine, don’t worry.” </p>
<p>That was the last thing she heard before falling dead to the world.</p>
<p>But Ben was right; things were going to be just fine indeed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading the whole thing and not clicking out of it :P</p></blockquote></div></div>
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